N Marks the Spot

To really leverage the wireless speed of the ThinkPad X301 as well as provide a high-performance backbone for the NetGear ReadyNAS Duo, selected D-Link's DIR-655. The reviews have been excellent on this router, and the combination of 802.11n and a gigabit ethernet switch really offers a lot of capability.

Since I'm running Win7, I had to launch the setup wizard in "Compatibility Mode" and I'm unsure how much impact that had on the setup. The wizard itself is pretty simple, though I don't think the instructions make it clear enough that they want you attached to the router via the included Ethernet cable to complete the setup.

The steps were clear enough - it took a while sometimes for the setup to move to the next step, but I'm not sure if that was due to the fact that I wasn't connected via ethernet. When setting up the wireless configuration and activating WPA2 security, the browser would occasionally error out as if it couldn't connect. Powering off the router and all the goodies attached and restarting the ThinkPad seemed to fix that issue.

WPA2 wireless security generates a huge key. Anyone who can hack into this thing should be working on Madoff's Swiss accounts instead of messing with me. You can choose a passphrase that generates the key to make it easier to remember.

Everything seemed OK getting the ThinkPad and iPhone connected (though I hate typing that long key, especially on the iPhone - shoulda used the passphrase). My wife's iMax doesn't seem to see the gigabit connection I'm offering it. Wireless works great, and was just as easy as the reast, but I really don't want it running to the ReadyNAS over wireless. Something to figure out for later.

Wireless speed on the X301is noticably faster than the 802.11g router it replaced. It even seems faster on the iPhone and iMac. I'll give it an "A-" for the setup experience, even allowing for the fact that Win7 might have been throwing it a curveball. Initial performance is an "A" even though I haven't really positioned it in the closet yet for best signal. I'll reserve the manageability grade once I've installed the ReadyNAS, configured everything and started doing backus and remote access. That will have to wait - the Carolina vs. Duke game is tonight

Much to do...

Wow - it has been a long time since I've picked up the...er...keyboard, and I'm on the technology side of things for the moment (though Sharkfest is coming up...)

Several new things coming up: I've upgraded to a ThinkPad X301, and to net it out, this is the best notebook I've ever seen. Truly a work of art.

Next up: Win7 Beta, currently running on the X301 and the quick word on that s Win7 is going to be a huge winner.

The house is getting some new gear, too.

My new D-Link DIR-655 arrives tomorrow to match the 802.11N capability of the ThinkPad as well as provide the Gigabit backbone for the last (but not least) interesting piece of technology - the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo.


The ReadyNAS gives me 500GB of mirrored, Web-accessible storage that can host folders, backups, song and picture libraries and more.

All of this promises to be an interesting journey, and I'm really looking forward to getting it all running together. I'll get to the ThinkPad and Win7 first (and soon).